


[DISCONTINUED] Bring Color To The World

by orphan_account



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Based on Rainbow Brite, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, No romantic ships, Superpowers, Talking Animals, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, but by angst i just mean Sad Memories nd stuff, but if you ask nicely i can certainly reserve scenes for ur favs, eventually doe, gosh all these tags kinda do be spoilers doe, i mean kinda, yes you read that correctly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Our story is set in Kaleidoscope, a world never seen by humans but much closer to us than we think. In fact, quite curiously, it may be because of the planet’s leaders, the Stray Kids, that everything colorful here at Earth exists.(based off of rainbow brite but it is much more interesting i promise!!) (or at least i hope it is lmao)
Relationships: OT8 - Friendship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

Our story is set in Kaleidoscope, a world never seen by humans but much closer to us than we think. In fact, quite curiously, it may be because of the planet’s leaders, the Stray Kids, that everything colorful here at Earth exists.

The Stray Kids (combo of Stray Colors and Color Kids) were created a very long time ago, where there was no such thing as color. They were made by a man named JYP, and they were just supposed to be his little experiment. To show himself that there could be color in the world. But one day, they escaped.

They knew about their powers to make color, they knew how happy it made JYP, but they wanted to share it with the world. They didn’t want to just make JYP happy. They wanted the whole world to experience the happiness of colors. But they couldn’t do it on their own.

While they could create magical, never-before seen things of color, there was a limit to their magic. They needed some help. And so they made the Color Compass, which both powered them and spread their magic to the world. The most important part of the Color Compass was the Light Sword, the needle on the compass which took magic from Stray Kids and sent it in the direction of the sword, and it needed a protector. That’s when they found Jeongin, an orphan left all alone found by the Red Admiral on their journey. They couldn’t just leave him alone. And so they changed his life.

They gave the sword to him, and gave him a title: the Rainbow Knight. Every day, he brings out the Light Sword and turns the Color Compass to choose a destination for the magic. Without him, there would be no way for Stray Kids to spread love and happiness with their color. Formerly 7, Stray Kids was extended to 8. The Red Admiral, Orange Sergeant, Yellow Coronel, Green Major, Blue Commander, Indigo General, Violet Lieutenant, and Rainbow Knight lead the world together, and made the dull world shine with color.

That is, until an extra creation of JYP striked. The Monochrome Shadow, a early and failed attempt of a Stray Kid, retaliated. The “failure that did nothing” in fact had the power to suck the color out of people, a power that couldn’t be seen in the previous dull world. He attacked many innocent people, converting them to his followers, angry that the Stray Kids were constantly being praised for their powers while he went unnoticed. When he gained enough shades - his people - he finally went for the Stray Kids themselves. They were kidnapped, seperated, and harvested of magic. The world lost color, and all hope was lost. Kaleidoscope forgot what it was like to love, be happy, and be colorful.

Except that there was just one catch. Shades invading District 9, capital of Kaleidoscope and residence of Stray Kids, the leaders of the world, sent away the Rainbow Knight. They knew that even if they were taken, their powers would not be compromised as long as the Color Compass still existed, and that could only work with the Light Sword. And so, to make sure the youngest Stray Kid was never caught by the shades, the Stray Kids used a combination of their powers to erase his memory of Kaleidoscope - and them. He was sent to Earth alone with the Light Sword disguised, where he would start life anew. And even if he didn’t know it, the fate of Kaleidoscope would forever be with him.

That was four years ago. Color hasn’t returned, but those of us who haven’t succumbed to the Monochrome Shadow still believe. We believe that the Rainbow Knight is still out there. We believe Jeongin’s gonna come back.

We hope he will.


	2. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! thanks for making it to the first chapter of the story. i was gonna put this IMPORTANT note in the prologue but apparently you can't put chapter notes on the first one?? so im putting it here sorry guys!!
> 
> \- this fic does NOT include woojin. i do not plan to either, but there are a variety of fics on this site with woojin included that you can read if you don't like that.  
> \- yes, this is based off of rainbow brite (the 80's childhood tv series, something i loved when i saw it on youtube as a wee lass) but i modified it quite a lot because a) i wanted to change the terms so its not aimed towards 5 year olds, b) original plot was too confusing for present me, c) i wanted to use COOL MILITARY NAMES for the characters instead of like "pink jihyo" n stuff like that, d) copyright?? idk i don't have any other points  
> \- due to the nature of stray kids' powers, they don't age, so when the original 7 were created they were already their present 2020 (western) age. when red admiral found jeongin he was p much 15 yrs old, which is why the prologue calls him kid bc he do be babie, and bc of the sword made by skz powers he didn't age either for the time he was with skz. since then 4 years have passed and jeongin was on earth so he is now his present age, 19.  
> \- there are NO ROMANTIC SHIPS HERE, sorry about that i just felt like it didn't flow with the story line, BUT if you ask nicely i may add super special scenes for your faves :0
> 
> ok that's it now read the story

Dreams were fun to have. In this dream, Jeongin was in some kind of grey warehouse. There was a funny machine to the right. And Jeongin was lying down flat on the ground. Because it was a dream and he could do anything he wanted. And if he dreamt about sleeping, he’d be getting double sleep. Yes. So dream-Jeongin closed his eyes. Let’s get that double sleep.

“No, don’t go again! You have to wake up, we gotta go!”

No, this was _Jeongin’s_ dream and he would be doing what he wanted to. Not what the mysterious voice was saying.

“Please get up, we’re running out of time!”

 _Stop shaking my arm, it hurts,_ Jeongin thought. So annoying, this dream. If this kept on going, he’d only get 1 sleep. That would suck.

Wait a minute.

It… hurt.

_It’s not supposed to hurt if it’s a dream._

Jeongin’s eyes snapped open just as he was violently pulled over, to some sort of nook in the wall. He heard a threateningly loud bang! of the door, which flew past where Jeongin ended up hiding. There was screaming in a language that Jeongin didn’t register as anything he was used to, followed by hurried footsteps leading away from the room.

“What’s going on-” Jeongin started, until a hand was clapped onto his mouth.

He looked to the person that hand belonged to. It was… a child. He wasn’t sure if it was a girl or boy, but they looked fearful. “Don’t say anything,” they whispered. “We’re gonna get you out of here.”

Get him out of here? But… where was _here_?

“Wait a few seconds. For the guards to leave.” they told him, shushed.

Jeongin peeked out from their hiding place. It was an unusual room they were in. Aside from the broken door, he could see that they were in some sort of circular room that had a large window on one side. But he couldn’t see anything outside. Just.. more grey. But what caught his eye was the huge table in the center. It seemed to be a circle, with odd markings all around, and it was covered in a thin layer of dust. At the center, there was a smaller cylinder that was tall enough to extrude from the table.

Something about the room felt… familiar? Or it was just Jeongin tripping from shock.

He was pushed back by the child, who peeked out the crevice in his place. They looked about, then turned to him “Follow me, no questions. We’re getting you out of here.”

Of course when they told him not to ask any questions, ten billion questions swam inside Jeongin’s head, but somehow he stayed silent. The child led him to the door of the circular room, where they peeked out for some time. Jeongin heard footsteps, but very faint. He assumed that the kid decided this meant the guards were too far away to hear them, and they set off. Jeongin went behind them, but slowly because it was hard for him to quietly run.

“We’re going to get out of here the same way I got in here,” the kid told Jeongin. “Which is through a secret staircase. It’s down a few halls, and the second we shake off these guards we’re basically free.”

The kid looked to the upcoming hallway in the maze of a building they seemed to be in, but quickly flattened himself back to the wall. “Shades that way. We’re taking a detour.”

They pulled Jeongin’s sweater sleeve toward the other end of the hallway they were currently in, where they turned a sharp corner into a new one and yet another quick turn into an empty, dark room. He looked around. This one seemed to be some sort of bedroom. But before he could observe any further, he was pulled back into the hall and into another set of turns. Running around the corners of the building and in and out of rooms, Jeongin was running out of breath, but the kid seemed to be perfectly fine. In fact, they seemed to have some sort of sense for when someone was coming.

Steadily running down the same hallway for a few minutes, Jeongin was sure that the danger was gone. The kid seemed that way as well, because they seemed determined for a certain door upcoming.

That’s until they heard someone scream. “The intruders! Section 8-A, requesting backup for intruders! One child, one adult, go go go!!”

Jeongin heard the running clear this time, while before only the kid could hear it. The guards were coming for them.

“Come on! Faster!” the kid said, pushing Jeongin in front. “Turn left and head for the 5nd door, I’ll hold them off!”

“But-” Jeongin started.

“Just go!!” the kid said, turning back to the guards entering the hallway with unusual weapons.

Hesitating for a second, Jeongin turned around and ran as fast as he could down the hallway and nearly slipped turning the corner. Quite conveniently, all the doors were on only one side, and were identical from what he could see.

“One, two, three…” Jeongin counted as he ran. Who built this building and made the doors so darn far apart? “Four… five!!”

He stopped in front of the door and hurriedly turned the handle, but to his horror, it wouldn’t move. Rather, he was met with… what was the word? The kids at school talked about it a lot from some kind of movie. Oh yes, a _hologram_. It hovered in mid-air and showed him an unusual script he wasn’t familiar with.

A voice screeched in the hallway Jeongin had just escaped. “Get off me!” It was unmistakably the kid from before. On the other side of the hallway he heard quick footsteps quickly closing in.

“Come on, come on…” Jeongin muttered staring at the hologram screen, hands in his hair. More voices filled the hallway, only adding to his stress. “Just open!” he yelled in frustration.

And suddenly, he noticed, the script was formed into something else in his head. The formerly incomprehensible script, it now spelled out words.

_Please say the code word._

“Light surrounds us.”

Jeongin’s two sides were stormed by guards, one side led by the kid, trying to escape them. The door split in two, contrary to the use of the handle Jeongin tried to use. Turning to the kid, guards holding huge spears of some sort, he held out his hand for them to take, and he ran inside the door’s room. The door closed on its own behind them, and then there was silence.

The formerly loud guards couldn’t be heard at all, in fact it was as if the door made them disappear. Light slowly grew in the room, helping the two make out their surroundings. Jeongin had fallen down on their way in, but as he sat up, he realized they were in some sort of glass spiral staircase that went down for who-knows-how-long. They were surrounded by multicolored bricks - or something. Jeongin turned around to where they had come from.

The door itself had disappeared.

He looked up at the see-through stairs in wonder. _Just what had he ended up in?_

He might’ve thought about it a little longer if he wasn’t tackled back on the ground by the kid. “Wh-” he started, trying to push the kid off, but he realized that the child was crying. “Oh- are you o-” stumbled Jeongin, when he just decided on pulling them into a hug.

“It’s really you,” they mumbled between sobs. “You wouldn’t have passed the door if you were fake. It’s really you. You’re back.”

Jeongin swallowed. “Kid, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

They pushed themselves off of Jeongin and wiped some tears. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Stay, I’ve lived in District 3 for most my life but I came to District 9 to call you back to Kaleidoscope, just like the legends said. Rainbow, they said there was no way, they said you’d have probably died on Earth and there was no way to bring you back, but you’re here and, and…” They choked over sobs. Jeongin sat up.

“Kid, I mean, Stay” he murmured. “Who’s Rainbow? What’s Kaleidoscope and the districts and how did I know the code and- can you _please_ explain something here?”

Stay looked at him. “Rain- you don’t remember anything at all? But… I thought it was just supposed to be rumors by the older kids to scare us, there’s no way you really lost your memory when you were sent to Earth!”

“My name’s not Rainbow, I don’t know who that is,” Jeongin said. “I’m Yang Jeongin and just about nothing here is making sense, and you’re really not helping. Is this something from before 4 years ago? Because there was this car crash and-”

“You’re the Rainbow Knight,” Stay whispered. “The Color Castle, this place, it was where you _lived_. The legends we believed in for so long said you were supposed to be our hope, and use the Light Sword to restore color and make the world happy again but,” they looked up, “if you don’t remember anything, what’s going to happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: hm how should i put EMOTION into this chapter  
> my brain: put a bunch of hyphens and ellipsis  
> me: no there's surely a better way  
> my brain: DONT DISOBEY ME YOU PIG
> 
> im sorry about how this chapter was carried out,,,


	3. Two

“There’s absolutely  _ no _ way I lived here. This is something for, like, a king!” Jeongin exclaimed. He and Stay looked up at the castle from where they just exited the staircase.

“Well, not kings per se,” Stay said, “but more of… a council for leaders of all light touches.”

“So basically a bunch of Mufasa’s but no shadowy land?” Jeongin asked, relating to the movie some kids on Earth had shown him.

“What’s a moof-asa?” Stay looked at Jeongin in wonder.

“You’ve never seen the Lion King?!”

Confusion built up in their face. “Lion… king??” 

“Oh, right.” Jeongin smacked his head. “New world. Not Earth.”

“Earth seems to be a scary place,” Stay said as they started walking away from the base of the castle. “I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like.”

“It wasn’t even that- where are you going?” Jeongin asked, realizing that Stay was well off.

“Oh, I thought you were behind me. Sorry,” they apologized. “It’s obvious that we’ve gotta get out of here, but I’m only walking so as to not raise suspicion.”

“Isn’t that not how it works?” Jeongin said as he catched up. “I mean, the city we’re in is kinda on lockdown looking for me, and according to you I’m a well known figure.”

He was right about the fact that the city was on lockdown, in fact sirens blared from random parts of the city and shutters closed in a scarily monotonous fashion. And from the castle, another hologram appeared. One that had Jeongin’s face on it. Except it didn’t look like him. It was way different. Younger, suspiciously, and with much lighter hair. Jeongin couldn’t tell much from the black-and-white hologram, but one thing was certain.

In the picture, he looked… happier.

Now of course Jeongin considered himself fairly well off based on his life on Earth, living in a perfectly quaint room and being able to support himself. But “other Jeongin” looked so much brighter. His eyes literally sparkled and he grinned ear to ear. The hologram used the picture as a wanted poster, but it was clear that the picture wasn’t meant for that.

And our Jeongin? He was just wearing an old T-Shirt and some sweatpants. His hair was black too, not that it had to be mentioned. But in comparison to this person, his entire life seemed so dull.

Was that person actually him? From before the car crash?

“Yeah, that’s you,” Stay said, probably understanding him staring at the hologram for so long. “When I look at the picture, you’ve changed so much. And not in a bad way! It’s just, well, you’re not what I remember.”

“You sound kind of disappointed,” Jeongin muttered. “And honestly, I think I am too.”

A few seconds passed in silence. Then the kid broke the silence. “Come on, let’s not stand here or we’ll look weird. We’re gonna be going to my section.”

“Section?”

“It’s what we call our rooms. Now let’s get going.”

\- 

“Your room looks a lot like mine!” Jeongin mused as he walked in.

“Really? Then I guess Earth is no better than shade-infected Kaleidoscope.” Stay said, taking off their shoes. 

“What do these ‘shades’ have to do with your room” Jeongin asked as he took off his own shoes, placing them next to Stay’s. He noticed that they only had 2 pairs of shoes, both white and identical.

“As I said, 4 years ago Kaleidoscope fell to the Monochrome Shadow. He corrupted many people with his powers and they turned into his followers. After the capital fell, he took over and sent out shades to act as a form of military government, and they made this huge code of how to live life and basically redid everything ever and made it bland and boring.” They stopped to take a breath. “You can take a seat. You’re basically gonna stay here because there’s nowhere else for you seeing as the Color Castle now belongs to the shades, so make yourself at home. I’ll get you some fitting clothes.”

As they walked out, Jeongin barely heard them whisper excitedly,  _ I’m having  _ the _ Rainbow Knight stay over!! In my section! _ He chuckled to himself as he took a seat in a nearby chair. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but yet it still radiated energy in the littlest ways, like someone had done everything they could’ve done to make the most out of what they had.

“Do you live here all by yourself?” Jeongin asked, turning to the door.

“Yeah,” Stay called from the door. “Another thing about the sections that the shades decided. Apparently living with other people is unnecessary so they just straight up got rid of it.” They kicked the door open with a small heap of clothes. “Basically, anyone under the age of 10 has to be cared for since they’re children, so they live in nurseries. Then they hit 10 and they’re forced to move out.”

Jeongin gasped. “10? That’s much too young. How old are you?”

“I’m 15, my birthday passed a few months ago,” they said. “Of course, since everything went down 4 years ago, it was quite a big thing when I was taken away from my… parents…” Stay blinked at the wall. “The clothes should fit you well. They're from the clothes the shades gave me when I moved, but they’re too big for me.”

“Oh.” Jeongin took the pile. “Can I-”

“Yeah, you can use my bedroom. I’ll sleep on the couch for now.”

“Thanks.” Jeongin closed the door behind him. He quickly changed out of his old pajamas and into the new clothes which were, well, drab. It was as simple as simple ever got, it seemed like no effort was put into making it special in any way. He was grateful for the new clothes, though. He stepped back out.

“I got some soup ready,” called Stay. “Sit down.”

“Thanks for everything,” Jeongin told Stay as he sat down. 

“It’s the least I can do for the savior of the entire world. You’re back home after 4 years, you should get a good meal.”

“About that,” he said as he blew on the soup. “Mind giving me a quick run-over of this entire place? Since, you know.” He took a sip. “I didn’t know this place existed until this morning.”

“Ah, right.” Stay said. “I mean, it’s pretty simple. So, you were part of the Stray Kids-”

“Stray Kids?”

“Yeah, combo of Stray Colors and Color Kids, both things people used to call you guys.”

“You decided to call them the Stray Kids instead of just Colors.”

“SHUT UP!” Stay exclaimed, red in embarrassment. “I don’t know why we chose that, just listen to the story!”

“Okay,” Jeongin chuckled. Stay stared at him for a bit, then cracked a smile of his own.

“Anyways, the original Colors were made by JYP, a man who was just like everyone else here, and just wanted happiness in a world of dark. Don’t ask me how he made them, he just did. And basically they were happy for some time, blah blah blah, until the Stray Kids got up and left so they wouldn’t just make JYP happy but the entire world. And in the middle of their escape, they met you as an orphaned kid.”

“They just… picked me up and decided I was coming with them?” Jeongin asked, stirring his soup.

“Pretty much,” Stay said. “And then they decided they would need a bit of help to spread color and happiness, so they combined their colors and made the Light Sword which also acted as the needle on the Color Compass, and everyday you used the sword to point color in one direction and bring color to everything the light touched. And it went on for another couple hundred years, yadda yadda yadda-”

“I’m a couple hundred years old?! But I thought I was just 19!” he exclaimed.

“Well when you were a Stray Kid you were just 15, something to do with the magic, I don’t know just stop asking questions! And then slowly from the shadows came the Monochrome Shadow, an early version of the Stray Kids. JYP thought he was a failure, but it turns out his power was to spread darkness, and JYP didn’t know because it was already in darkness. The Shadow didn’t like the whole gig about color and hated that nobody recognized him for his powers, so he converted people to shades like I said and he formed an army and… basically took down the entire world.

“But the worst day was the Fall of District 9. It was terrible, as we ran from the shades through the city, we just… we watched as all the colors slowly drained from the buildings. First red, then orange, we knew it meant that the Red Admiral and Orange Sergeant had been compromised. Literally, our hope was shattering before our eyes. Then when everything was black and white, and we could literally look at each other and see…”

Jeongin stared in silence for some time. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, we’re moving on.” Stay wiped tears from their eyes. “Anyways, it was really bad for some time, but we heard legends that you were alive! It started at that, but then it grew detailed, that you hid the Light Sword so the colors wouldn’t be completely gone, that you were on Earth in hiding, it gave us hope in a literally dark time. And from those rumors, I snuck into the Color Castle at 2 in the morning, because it’s a time that people usually ignore, and I used the Color Compass and  _ something _ happened and- and here you are!” Stay slurped the last of their soup, which they had been drinking somehow through all the talking. “I proved that the legends were right, and that you were still alive! And now, all we gotta do is save the Stray Kids and bring life back to what it was and-”

They looked at each other in silence. “And?” Jeongin asked.

“And…” They looked to the side. “And find my father. He was taken away early on by the shades for ‘rebellion,’ but I just want to see him safe. It’s one thing to be forced to live on your own, but knowing that the only family you have could be dead, it,” They gulped. “It scares me so much.”

“We’ll find him, Stay,” Jeongin told them, reaching out to hold their shoulder. “I may not know much about being the ‘hero of the world,’ but I’m going to try and do whatever I can. This place has been through a lot, and if I’m the only one who can set things right, I’ll do it.”

“You will?” Stay whispered.

“Of course I am,” Jeongin said. “I don’t have much choice, since I can’t go home. But I know it’s the right thing to do, because you told me.”

Stay cleared their throat. “Okay! I got this far, I can make it farther! Move your bowl, please?”

Jeongin picked up his empty bowl, and Stay pushed a button under the table. And before the two of them, the table turned into another hologram, but this one a huge map. Across the map, there were dark dots, some crowded together and others sparse.

“What is this?” Jeongin asked, looking at the map in amazement.

“It’s a map that has to do with the shade army,” Stay said. “The Stray Kids were taken to different places across Kaleidoscope, and from general logic they can only be in places with a lot of guards or no guards at all.”

“Why would they be in a place with no guards?” Jeongin said, eyes scanning the table.

“To not raise suspicion, or to not put themselves in danger. We know that the shades have varying degrees of dealing with the Kids because nobody told them what to do with them, Monochrome Shadow only said to make sure their color doesn’t re-enter the world. So for all I know, they could be somewhere that’s torture for the Stray Kids but death for shades. After all, we’re just humans, but they’re practically gods.”

“Am I a... god too?”

“Depends on whether or not you have the Light Sword, as I said.” Stay said. “That’s another thing we need to work on. Do you have  _ any _ idea where it could be?”

“No,” Jeongin said, rubbing his arm.

Stay looked at said arm. “That bracelet of yours is awful pretty.”

“This?” Jeongin brought his wrist up to look at the silver band. “It’s been with me since the car- I mean, since I came to Earth.”

“Since you came to Earth?” Stay said. “Then maybe-”

“This is the Light Sword?!” the two said in unison. 

“Jinx! You can’t talk!” Jeongin said, laughing. Stay looked at him, perplexed. “Oh, it's a- it’s an Earth thing.”

“Clearly,” they replied, rolling their eyes. “But seriously, that could be it! And we can take it to our first destination.” Stay pointed to a point on the map, notably empty of shades. “Crystal mines. It’s in District 3, and it’s close to here. We can leave tomorrow.”

Stay looked up at Jeongin. “You know, I haven’t felt this in a long time, but… I actually think we can do this.”

“I think so too,” said Jeongin. “I think so too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one was a little late!! i had trouble getting this one out,, this chapter is supposed to be the brief "infodump" or recap of the prologue (which was only 2 chapters ago, im sorry) but it's a bridge to exciting things, i promise!
> 
> while this chapter was a lil hard to write (because it was boring LMAO) i've finally perfected the plot and you guys are in for a ride! in fact, we will be getting more members than jeongin and stay very soon :0
> 
> also, please comment. it's really lonely these days and i'm not even sure if people are actually reading this. i spend hard work on these chapters, believe it or not, and even a keysmash in the comments is more than enough! i want to improve, but i can't without you guys, so please comment. please.


	4. FAQ + Important Update

hey guys! its the author, witty here. you might notice that this chapter is late, by one day in fact, and the reason for that is that i've decided to go on hiatus until **june 16th,** because that's when summer vacation begins for me. i've decided to take this break not only because of the fact that i am in the home stretch right now and i feel like i need to prioritize school work, but also because i think that in summer vacation i can write much better because i have so much free time. i hope the people who actually stick to this work will understand. however, as a compromise, i'm going to be doing a little FAQ!! of course nobody actually asked these questions because nobody even comments so instead these are the questions i'd like to think people have.

Is Stay supposed to be Woojin?

No, Stay isn't a representation of Woojin. As I've said, Woojin is NOT in this book because of the fact that he's literally not in Stray Kids anymore, but I felt like Jeongin needed a little company for the journey of this work. I was originally supposed to give him a little bird but I decided that I wanted a bit of a... self insert?? So Stay could be me, it could be you, it could even be your friend for all I care! Stay is a representation of our fandom as a whole, and that's all there is to it.

Is Woojin the Monochrome Shadow?

No, what did I just say? First off, I'd never put him in the villain role, and second off I LITERALLY JUST EXPLAINED THIS. However, the Monochrome Shadow is someone in JYP :)

Why don't you want this to have any ships?

Because I feel like this story doesn't need romance to tell the tale. It's just a bunch of kids saving the world, that's pretty much all there is to it. In that, I find that in stories like these the romance breaks the plot, which is plain annoying for the readers. However, it seems that ships are the only way to get anyone to look at this work. I've considered making it a Hyunjin x Jeongin work, or even a Minho x Jisung work, but all three of them don't show up until much later in the work, so it would be useless. So I've decided to keep this work no-romance. And no, Jeongin won't end up with Stay, this isn't a y/n fic. I hope you understand that sometimes plot doesn't need romance.

When will the other members appear?

About that, this work will move slowly when it comes to getting all the members. In fact, this will... kind of be like "unlocking" each member in a certain arc?? Like Pokemon idk ANYWAYS, it'll take time for all the members to officially Join Da Gang Again but they WILL show up at times before they're unlocked, in Super Duper Cool Flashback Scenes. And just so you know, it's not in fanchant order, it's in ~rainbow order but for the sake of the plot we'll just call it pure convenience.~ That's the only spoiler I'm telling you hee hee.

How were the Colors created?

Go onto YouTube and search up "Powerpuff Girls Intro." That should explain it well enough for you :)

Why does the prologue talk about Jeongin being sent to Earth but Stay says it was a rumor?

Although the prologue implies it to be a bit of a well-known fact, really the prologue is just a background for the reader to understand the scenario and it doesn't reflect what the characters know. Jeongin being sent to Earth amongst the civilians of Kaleidoscope was just a myth started by teenagers who wanted a little fun even though all hope was literally lost. What most people assumed was the truth was that Jeongin, along with the rest of Stray Kids, were taken by the shades and were in either captivity or considered dead. That's just how it is when the leaders of the world who ruled for so long disappear for 4 entire years.

What is a shade?

The Monochrome Shadow's power consists of ridding the world of color, as opposed to Stray Kids' powers of spreading color. They can both enforce their colors upon people, but while Stray Kids essentially fill the people with hope, Monochrome Shadow rids them of hope and basically turns them into a puppet used for his own will. MS turned these people into his little army, but it should be known that even as shades capture people, only MS can turn them into a shade. The actual shades just do his bidding and hold people prisoner if needed. Long story short, Kaleidoscope under Monochrome Shadow's will has turned into a militarist country and the shades are said military.

Do you have the story planned out or are you just going with the flow?

I've planned it all out storywise, but I don't know how long it will take in terms of chapters and weeks. I tried to calculate how many chapters this story would take, but I got 54 which is way too many chapters for me to be doing every week as that would turn out to be around a year's worth of writing. After the first "arc" is over, I'll recalculate based on how long that took and I'll let you know how long this story will take again.

Why is the Light Sword so important, and how did Jeongin lose it?

First off, Jeongin didn't lose it. It would be pretty bad if he did, not just for the story but for Kaleidoscope. More about that will be revealed in the future :) And as I've explained in the prologue, the Light Sword is the way that color gets spread throughout the world of Kaleidoscope, and it's also the last bits of the Stray Kid powers in case of emergency. Both Monochrome Shadow and the Stray Kids could use it with their powers, but as long as it isn't connected to the Color Compass it's just a cool sword. Let's hope Jeongin keeps it away from the shades...

ok i think thats way too much info for you hehe i may have even overspilled the tea but anyways see yall on june 16th, i hope somebody actually comments this time, stay safe, and stream TOP mv.


	5. Three

“We’re taking a… taxi?” Jeongin asked, perplexed by the vehicle approaching us.

“We call them mobiles,” Stay explained, loading luggage in the back.

“But I thought I’m a wanted man?” he said, climbing into the mobile.

“Only wanted to those we cannot trust,” they mused, joining Jeongin. “My, I hope it doesn’t rain today.”

“It may rain indeed, you can never know,” the driver replied, voice deep. She turned around. “But you can always count on the sun shining afterwards.”

“Fragments of lights never leave us,” Stay said.

“Not as long as we keep looking for it.” The woman started the engine. “It is always nice to see a friend.”

Jeongin looked around. “Can somebody  _ please _ explain to me what’s going on here?”

“L’Ordre de l'Arc-en-ciel,” the driver said as the mobile departed. “It is my honor to serve you today, my Knight.”

“What?”

“The Order of the Rainbow,” Stay said, turning to Jeongin. “A group of people just like me from all over Kaleidoscope, who never gave up on you. If we travel with them, we shouldn’t run into any troubles.”

“I have an entire group just for me?” Jeongin said, looking out the window.

“The shades may have gotten rid of all the color, but they could not fully rid us of hope.” The driver moved the mirror. “They too had to stop the conversions at some point, but we never stop. Not until we see our happiness again.” She turned back. “My name’s Heejin, by the way. I’ve prepared an inn for you in District 3, but it will be some time until we get there. I understand that you’ve been through a lot, especially with  _ your, _ ” Heejin turned to Stay, “early morning adventures, so I recommend that you sleep now.”

Stay pouted. “I thought it was efficient!”

“Yes, surely,” Heejin said sarcastically. “Because barging into the castle,  _ unprepared, _ at 2 in the morning will make a difference from other times of the day.”

“It did! We got out of the Color Castle safe!”

“Barely,” Heejin muttered. In the mirror, Jeongin could see her roll her eyes.

He chuckled. “Thank you noona, for doing all-”

“No, please, don’t call me noona,” Heejin told him. “We may look around the same age, but if anyone needs formalities, it’s you.”

Jeongin turned red in embarrassment. “No, I don’t need any-”

“Of course you do! Before the shades arrived, you woke up early every morning and used the Color Compass to make sure nobody was running short of color and that they’d wake up every morning to the beautiful place this world is! I mean - was.”

“Is that so?” Jeongin mumbled. “It seems like my life here was much more interesting than the one I was living on Earth…”

“Come to think of it, since we all know so much about your life here on Kaleidoscope, what was life like on Earth?” Stay asked eagerly. “Is it true that there are mysterious spirits that roam about to get you at any instant?”

“Is it true that animals are big enough to consume you?” Heejin added.

“Do you guys actually eat gold?”

“Is there color on Earth?”

“Maybe, yes but I’ve never seen one, not me, hold on!” Jeongin exclaimed. “Too many questions! I only lived on Earth for 4 years!”

“A long four years it was,” Heejin muttered. “It’s obvious you’ve changed.”

“It’s true.” Stay turned to face Jeongin. “When I summoned you back to Kaleidoscope, I almost didn’t recognize you. I thought it was my eyes readjusting after the huge beam of light, but when I looked at the person before me, I didn’t see what I remembered as the Rainbow Knight.”

They looked away for a second. Jeongin opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“You looked like… a dull, sad person, with no hope left,” they said. “You looked like a shade.”

“It sounds horrible, but they’re right,” Heejin whispered. “The face is spot on, but your aura is just so different. Even when you smile, you still seem so sad. Just what happened on Earth?”

“It’s… kinda a long story.” He turned to the window, scratching his arm.

“Well, if you don’t feel comfortable I’m not going to force you but you must consider that, well,” Heejin said. “It’s a long ride for a long story.”

“You have a good point.” Jeongin looked out the window. “So, after the car crash…”

_ “You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?” a lady asked him. _

_ A young Jeongin shook his head before the doctor. “I’ve been trying, but I can’t remember anything before the... crash?” _

_ “Yes, it was a car crash you were in.” she said. “Pretty suspicious too, since the driver claimed he didn’t see you appear. But I’m not the police here, thats across the street. It was pretty lucky those schoolkids saw you though.” _

_ “Schoolkids?” _

_ “Yes, they named themselves Beomgyu and Yeonjun. BH High School. Since the crash was near there, the police will probably be sending you there because it’s the closest record to where you’re from.” _

_ Jeongin looked at his bandaged body. “I’ll be going to… school?” _

_ “Not now, of course. Right now you need to rest up.” The doctor rose up from her seat. “6 more weeks, and you’ll be turned over to the police. At least you can watch a bit of TV while you’re gone!” _

_ He opened his mouth to ask a question, but the doctor had already left. “What’s a TV…” _

_ Months passed and he found himself rooming with a small family of a mother, son, and dog who were kind enough to let him in.  _

_ “You didn’t remember anything except for your name?” the kid, Hanyu, asked. “Well, when I read up on the internet they said you’d pretty much be able to remember everything your body did before. So you’re basically fine without your memory.” _

_ Jeongin blinked, pausing his tummy-rub session with the cute dog. “What’s the internet?” _

_ “I can’t believe my mom said to try and call you hyung like you’re my brother…” _

_ BH High School was much harder to fit into than the doctor at the hospital had assured him of. Only the kids that found him let him into their friend group. _

_ “The chemistry quiz this week was so hard, even I had trouble keeping it within the class time,” said Taehyun, a friend from Beomgyu and Yeonjun’s group. _

_ “I know!” exclaimed Yeonjun. “I just brushed over the whole Ionic-Covalent thing but it was literally the entire quiz…” _

_ “Hey, Jeongin.” He was nudged in the side by Beomgyu. “We’re taking a train ride to this cool island. Wanna come?” _

_ “No, I’ve got to study for math.” Jeongin told them. _

_ “Do you want us to help out?” Beomgyu asked. “We all think it’s pretty easy, it won’t take too long.” _

_ “Okay,” Jeongin pulled out his binder. “There's this whole substitution thing I’m having trouble with and-” _

_ Taehyun interrupted him, pointing to the work. “Wait a second, is this Algebra 1?”  _

_ “Yes, what else would it be?” Jeongin asked. _

_ The kids looked at him blankly. “We finished this course three years ago, how behind are you?” _

_ Months doubled.  _

_ “I’m sorry Jeongin, we aren’t able to keep up funds because of Hanyu’s education.” _

_ “I’ll work to bring you extra money. I’ll work the night shift so I can balance school and work.” _

_ “Thank you Jeongin.” _

_ Months turned into years. _

_ “Hanyu, I was saving up money for a school trip. Where did it go?” _

_ “Hyung, you know Mom and her gambling these days… she hasnt been the same since Dad’s death anniversary.” _

_ “But I spent weeks saving it up…” _

_ And the years doubled too. _

_ “It’s better you move out, Jeongin, the funds are too low. I’ve kept you here for years. You’re 19 now, it’s time you go on your own like a real adult. I don’t even care where you’ll go. Just move out by the end of the week.” _

_ “Of course, ma’am.” _

_ “Don’t talk to me like that. You know that if you didn’t get hit by the damn car, I wouldn’t even have to go through all of this.” _

_ And sooner than he knew it, he was alone. The kids at school stopped seeing him, acted like he was invisible. He worked two jobs to pay rent in his room, but it was still super small. And college exams were coming up and he needed to study. But in his situation without good tutoring, he knew it was close to impossible to get an impressive score for colleges, even with all his studying on his own. He had learned the hard way that it was how the world worked. _

_ In fact, it was the day before said college exams when he was attempting to sleep peacefully and be well enough rested to not go crazy during the test, when he woke up in the early morning by a certain kid. _

“And it seems that certain kid is sleeping,” Jeongin remarks. Indeed, Stay had fallen asleep listening to Jeongin’s story.

Heejin chuckled. “I can’t blame them. I made fun of it, but Stay is kind of the reason this place could actually be saved.”

“I admire the trust you put in me, I really do.” Jeongin replied respectfully. “But quite honestly, I don’t even know how I’m going to be going about this.”

“When you were on Kaleidoscope, you refused to only focus one one cause and spent your days trying to help as many as possible. It was hard for you, because the Color Compass only let you use the Stray Kid powers to replenish one area with color and happiness. But your golden heart made you go beyond the compass and help every living being on the planet.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. From your story, I can tell that you’ve been through a lot, and it’s taken a toll on you. But I know that you are able to save us, one way or another.”

Jeongin bowed to the mobile’s mirror, so Heejin could see. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Heejin looked out the window. “In fact, you’ll be getting some help to do it very quick.”

Jeongin looked out the window to see a desert-like setting, unlike the city of District 9. “Welcome to District 3,” Heejin said. “The Order of the Rainbow believes this is where the Red Admiral has been kept. He should have answers to all the questions you have, but first we need to get past the shades.”

Heejin pulled up the mobile to a sleek checkpoint-like place. It seemed almost like a tollbooth from Earth.

“You have entered District 3. We demand to see your identification.” recited a shade with no emotion.

Heejin pulled out 3 cards and handed them to the shade, who observed them closely. “We believe that your names are very odd. You may want to get these renewed for better names.”

“I will do so at my earliest convenience.” Heejin said in a mirrored tone. 

“Why are you not wearing your mandated jacket as uniform?”

“Due to the intense heat I have taken it off.”

“Do put it back on. We do not wish to see such rebellion in dress code.”

“Of course.”

“We will now let you in to District 3.”

Gates opened and Heejin drove forward. “That was scary, how did you manage it?” Jeongin asked.

“Years of experience. Earth and Kaleidoscope aren’t too different. Just watch your words.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

A few more minutes of driving brought the mobile to an inn. “We’ve booked room 12a and 12b for you guys,” Heejin said. “Wake up, Stay.”

They grunted. “What?”

“Yeah, if you payed more attention, you’d know we were in District 3.” Heejin parked the mobile. “I’ll help getting the bags because you’re too tired to do anything.”

“Thanks.”

All luggage collected, Heejin pulled Jeongin aside. “I know you’ve been through a lot. We have too. But this is your chance to set everything right. The entire world of Kaleidoscope has been hoping for a miracle, and it is you. I know you have it inside you, how to take down Monochrome Shadow, and the other Stray Kids will help you. But you have to keep believing, no matter what. Got that?”

“Yes,” Jeongin said. “Thank you for waiting for me,”

“We would wait a century for you, our Rainbow Knight.” she replied. “And just know that the Order of the Rainbow will be ready for you to lead at any second. Now get some sleep.”

“Stop being secretive and lets go inside!” Stay shouted.

“Quiet, before shades hear!” Heejin said. 

“I won’t let you down.” Jeongin said.

And as Stay pulled him inside with Heejin waving goodbye, he wasn’t too sure if he could do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back~ hope none of y'all missed me!!
> 
> i mean nobody is even reading this story these days but its ok hehe
> 
> this chapter was another dialogue heavy chapter, sorry, but next chapter is full of COOL STUFF i promise!! also we get to see who our first color, red admiral, is :0
> 
> (also i bet monochrome shadow doesnt stream vivid by heejin)


	6. Four

“District 3 is where Color Crystals are- I mean, were mined,” Stay says, spreading out a map of the town they had entered just the night ago. “In fact, the Color Crystals are what your sword is made out of. It used to be a really valuable ore, now the Shades keep the district mining for them to take back to Monochrome Shadow so they can be destroyed.”

“Why would they be destroyed?” asks Jeongin, leaning over the map. 

“The Color Crystals have the power to enhance the Stray Kids’ powers. They’re what spreads color, and the reason our world lived in prosperity for so long.” Stay points their finger over to a set of mountains on the far side of the map. “The quarry isn’t too far from here. When we at the Order of the Rainbow checked a few weeks ago, there was a suspicious lack of shades near here. Just two stationed at the entrance, and that’s it. What’s even more suspicious is that people have been disappearing in the caves. Something’s not right.”

Jeongin scrunched his eyes. “You’re thinking the Red Admiral is being kept here?”

“Yes. On the Fall of the Color Castle, red was the first color to disappear from the world. And soon enough, there was a horde of shades leaving the castle for District 3. We’re basing this on a hunch, but it’s a pretty solid hunch.”

“But why would the Red Admiral take people?” Jeongin asked.

“He wouldn’t,” they responded. “It’s something to do with Shadow and the Shades.”

“And you’re sure you can rely on this?”

“Of course I can. That’s just the Red Admiral I know.”

“Alright.” Jeongin stood up. “So when are we leaving?”

“Right now.”

\--

Jeongin hopped around in his new uniform. “I thought the regular uniform was uncomfortable, but the miner’s uniform is even worse…”

“Sorry, but you’ve grown since the last time you were on this planet,” Stay explained.

“Yeah, duh, Sherlock,” he mumbled in response. “It was 4 years.”

“Who’s Sherlock?”

“Never mind.”

“That was pretty wei- act natural. Act natural.”

Jeongin straightened his posture for the upcoming Shades.  _ Remember, your name is Kang Minhee. Kang Minhee. Kang Minhee. _

“Names, please?”

“Kim Eunbi and Kang Minhee,” Stay said.

“You have been logged,” the Shade said.

“Thank you.”

And that was it. They continued walking into the mountains.

“That was a lot simpler than the district check…” Jeongin observed.

“There’s not much to say here,” they replied. “But Heejin prepared me for more in case. There aren’t any more shades, like I said, so it’ll just be a walk up the mountain.”

“And nobody will notice?”

“Not that I’m expec-”

“Excuse me?” a voice interrupted.

Stay sharply inhaled and let out a heaving sigh, before turning around. “Yes?”

An elderly man stood before them. “I haven’t seen you two around lately. Are you new?”

Stay opened their mouth to speak before Jeongin spoke before them, attempting to make contribute and make their workload less. “We’re new here. Newly assigned.”

“Is that so?” the man asked.

“Yes! We were just about to head up the mountain.”

“Ah, I see,” the man said, thankfully not questioning anything. “But be careful. Two hundred paces in, there’s a large cave just around the bend, and people have been disappearing! You young kiddos better not get caught up in that. Stay safe!”

“We will, don’t worry!” Stay exclaimed. They turned around and started speaking much more quietly. “At least now we have a little more accurate directions in terms of the mountain itself. Hard to see it on a flat map.”

The two of them started up the mountain, hiking up the steep slope and making way for any other miners in the quarry. Some twenty minutes of walking later, they found the cave in question.

“So this is it? The cave where we think he’s in?” Jeongin asked, staring into the darkness of the mountain.

Stay inhaled. “Yeah I guess so.” They started walking in. “You’d think that after I literally summoned someone from another planet, I’d be able to do something like this again. Guess the nerves always get you.”

Jeongin followed Stay into the cave. At first they heard nothing, then a  _ drip, drip, _ of water. They decided to head towards it, seeing as they had no other hints of where the Red Admiral could be. Walking towards it, and carefully avoiding stalagmites they could sense as their vision adjusted to the darkness. A few minutes later, the  _ drips _ becoming closer sounding to streams of water, the two of them saw light coming from a narrow tunnel. Stay went in first, Jeongin following suit, but the second Stay exited the tunnel, they stopped in their tracks.

“Jeongin…” they muttered, terrified. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Jeongin entered from the tunnel, and found himself standing dumfounded like Stay. “Holy…”

What they found was a fountain, sprouting water enthusiastically, surrounded by ice figures. And inside the ice was people. Posed fearful of the water, some petrified in the process of drinking it, and others trying to run away. 

“It’s all the people that went missing!” Stay exclaimed, touching a cheek of a woman on the ground. “We need to get them out of here, do something-”

“Don’t touch them for now,” said Jeongin. “We might do something wrong in the process. Rather, I think there’s something else we need to worry about…”

He motioned to the source of light, coming strongly from another chamber of the cave. Stay looked back again at the woman, before letting go and following Jeongin. They slowly advanced forward, before a rock Jeongin stepped on gave a loud  _ CRUNCH! _

“Who’s there?!” a voice asked from inside.

It came from the source of light, a cage made of the very stone that made up most the cave, but inside a man with bright hair, handcuffed by a different kind of stone that seemed to be radiating as much light as him.

Was this light… was it color?

“Are you…” Stay asked, voice cracking. “Are you, the Red Admiral, Bang Chan?”

The man turned to face the two of them, eyes glossy. He squinted.

“... Jeongin??”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAA I FORGOT TO UPLOAD LAST WEEK
> 
> sorry guys :( but as a treat i'll do two chapters today!! the next one is coming up later bc i dont wanna spoil you guys too much hehe
> 
> also can you believe i almost sent this in as a final project for online school bc i was so done LMAOO
> 
> (note: in this au, as hinted by the prologue, earth doesnt have color!! so since jeongin only has memories of earth rn, this is kinda his second first time seeing color! why it be so bright doe)


	7. Five

Stay rushed towards the bars of the cage. “Okay, I’ll get you out, hold on…” They tried to break the vertical bars of the cage when they finally snapped, but not by their effort.

Jeongin dusted off his pant. “It’s a good thing Ning taught me how to kick way back when…” he looked at the man. “So… you’re the Red Admiral?”

“You really don’t remember me, huh?” he said. The clothes he wore, in the same shade of his hair, seemed battered, and the same hair was unkempt and dirty. His body glew, but his eyes didn’t.

He seemed so sad.

“I really don’t,” Jeongin mumbled. At lack of anything else to say, he chose to divert the conversation. “How are we going to get you out of those handcuffs?”

The Red Admiral kept staring at Jeongin, then blinked as if to come back to the real world. “Oh- the handcuffs. It’s Dark Ore, it drains my magic unlike the Color Crystals that boost it. When the shades change it out for a fresh pair, I think they use a clasp near my left hand.”

Stay found the clasp and unlocked it for him, to which he gasped. “Oh, wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve been without the ore for more than 5 seconds at a time.”

“Admiral, sir, I’m so glad we’ve found you,” Stay started, tripping on their words. “It’s been so long, and we at the Order of the Rainbow-”

“Not now,” the Admiral said, suddenly full of determination. “The people from the fountain.”

He got up from his crouched position in the cage and started hobbling over back to the fountain room. He looked at the fountain with a sense of distaste, then instantly took to a man nearby. The Admiral put his hands on the man’s chest, closing his eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this. Hopefully I still have some juice inside me.”

For a second Jeongin stood next to Stay, just looking on at the Admiral. Then, he started feeling heat fill the room. From the Admiral’s hands, the glow of the shade as everything about him grew, and wherever it touched, the ice melted. The man collapsed in his arms, soaking wet. 

_ The Red Admiral, huh…  _ Jeongin wondered.  _ Is this the color red then? Is that what’s making this all happen? _

“What happened, what-” the man spluttered. Then he looked up, and jumped back. “Y-your honor, Red Admiral?”

“Yes, it’s me,” he said softly. “But we don’t have any time to waste. We have a whole lot of people to thaw. Jeongin, kiddo, help out a bit?”

And they got to working, helping the people he thawed to the wall so they could rest before they went back down the mountain. Some 10 people thawed, Jeongin tried to spark conversation with him, trying to make it less awkward for the Admiral to so casually say his name when he felt like he only met him.

“So, Red Admiral…” Jeongin tried as the Admiral thawed a lady’s arm. “How did all these people get here in the first place?”

“Please, call me Chan. It feels so weird for you to call me the Red Admiral,” he chuckled in response.

“Ok…” Jeongin said.  _ It feels weird for you to address me by name though. _

“After the Fall of District 9, we were taken, and obviously we resisted,” Chan started off as he helped the woman to Stay. “It got too much, so they started using our powers against us. The fountain here is from Minho’s collected magic from the Dark Ore. By taking a sip, it freezes your body. Just like us, he always used his powers for good, but to see it used like this, to bait people in for that Monochrome Shadow’s enjoyment… it’s just too much.”

“Oh, dang.” Jeongin looked down, not knowing what else to say.

“Yeah, and the worst part was that I had to watch it all happen,” Chan said as he moved on to another person. “I mainly use my power for heat, but seeing all these people freeze helplessly before me and me not being able to do  _ anything _ , it was… it was a hard four years.” He turned and smiled at Jeongin. “Until you came back.”

“Yeah. I came back,” he muttered. He kept helping Chan out, but not saying anything else. Eventually all the miners were nice and dry, and were told to go back down the mountain. They said they would take care of the Shade at the entrance for Chan’s help, to which he thanked them. As they left, Jeongin could've sworn he heard someone mutter, _Was that the Rainbow Knight? It looks so similar..._ If anything, it made him even more uncomfortable of the situation. And then, when everyone had finally left, it was just the three of them left behind in the cave.

“Thanks for the help, and for getting me out of there,” Chan said, looking tired from the feat. He looked towards Stay. “By the way, I never got your name.”

“My name is Stay, and I’m with the Order of the Rainbow, and organization trying to fight back against the Shades and reunite the Stray Kids!” they said enthusiastically. “I’m the one who summoned Jeongin back.”

“Really?” he asked. Chan looked to Jeongin next. “You look older. So much more mature.”

“I mean, I spent four years on Earth?” Jeongin replied awkwardly.

“Yes, of course,” said Chan. “But it’s much better to see you here after 4 years than 10 years, or even longer.”

Jeongin didn’t know what to say back, so he just looked at the floor and rubbed his arm, until Stay broke the silence. “We were wondering if you had answers about the Light Sword? Since it’s pretty essential for taking back Kaleidoscope.”

“Oh, of course.” Chan fished around his pant pockets and revealed a red key. Then he reached for Jeongin’s neck, to which he stepped back.

“Woah, what are you doing?” Jeongin exclaimed.

Chan looked a bit hurt, but he didn’t change his expression. “I’m not going for your neck. I’m going for your necklace.” He found the chain from under Jeongin’s shirt and pulled out a necklace with a little lock on it.

“How do you know about my necklace?” Jeongin asked. “I’ve had it ever since the incident, and I haven’t shown anyone about it.”

“We were the ones who gave it to you, me and the other Color Kids,” he explained. “We knew that you’d come back, but to make sure that the sword doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, me and the other Primary Colors - Changbin and Jisung - made these keys to unlock the sword. When you get all of them, the necklace will turn into the Light Sword.”

“So you just need to put the key in?” Stay asked. 

“Not exactly,” he said. “The lock is also what keeps Jeongin’s memories of Kaleidoscope. It might get a bit much for you.”

“This is already a bit much for me,” Jeongin muttered under his breath.

“What?” Chan asked, not hearing it.

“Nothing,” Jeongin said. “So… I’ll remember everything that happened from before Earth?”

“Not everything. Only a third of it, and I’ll be there with you to go through it.”

Jeongin thought about it. All his life, he’d been feeling different from the others, ever so slightly, but it had always bothered him. This was his only chance to learn why.

“I’ll do it.” Jeongin said. “I’m ready.”

“Good, it would be a pretty big problem if you didn’t.” Chan chuckled. Then his face got serious. He inserted the key, giving a large shine of light to which Stay gasped, and turned the key.

And Jeongin saw full black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we unlock the first color, chan!! things are about to get interesting >:D
> 
> also im sorry that this chapter and the last were pretty short, there wasnt too much dialogue or flashiebackies so its just a regular chapter. but next chapter is a flashback!! it'll be fun hehehehehehehhehe
> 
> also jeongin do be really uncomfortable about this guy he just met knowing too much about him,,, but then again i'd be uncomfortable if everyone called me "rainbow knight" lolololol
> 
> see ya next tuesday!!


	8. update.

hi yeah its me witty

i know i know i forgot last week's upload too but heres the thing: i've decided to discontinue the series.

don't get me wrong i loved every second of this and planned the entire thing out in a huge google doc and it brought me much joy to imagine how it would go but as it went on i just... lost the vibe? idk its getting harder and harder to push out words and idk whats going on anymore so for my own sake im discontinuing.

sorry that i couldnt produce more content

sorry that the content i produced wasnt enough

and if you genuinely liked whatever i made

thanks.

so yeah this isnt the last time you'll be seeing me bc i'll maybe try writing for other fandoms, or maybe i'll try writing for myself and not fanfic, but whatever it is i wont be updating bring color to the world anymore.

it was fun while it lasted, so yeah.

thanks :]

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! i hope you liked it and will stay for future chapters :D
> 
> if you liked it follow me on tumblr (witty-lasagna) and yell at me, but do please comment on the fic! it helps me improve so much more than a simple kudos will, and i like talking to yall!!
> 
> or just kudos n leave ig


End file.
